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STARKVILLE – Turnover is a part of college athletics. New faces shuffle into programs in four-year intervals.

It's happened even faster for coach John Cohen and Mississippi State baseball. The Bulldogs' first trip to the College World Series final in June of 2013 is not even two year in the past. Yet, as MSU begins the 2015 season today against Cincinnati at Dudy Noble Field, only one starter remains from that team — first baseman Wes Rea.

Ross Mitchell remains the only key arm from that historic team.

The duo leads the 2015 team that contains numerous questions.

Who replaces Holder and Lindgren?

No unit has been more important to Mississippi State's success the last two seasons than the bullpen. The Bulldogs lost arguably their most important pieces from last season in Jacob Lindgren, their set-up man, and Jonathan Holder, their closer.

Lindgren may be the simpler fix.

Prior to teaming up with Lindgren, Holder had Mitchell as a set-up man. The soft-tossing southpaw emerged during the 2013 season, en route to the College World Series. Mitchell could be used out of the bullpen again this season.

MSU would then sacrifice his arm in the starting rotation. Mitchell acted as Mississippi State's ace last year.

As for Holder's spot, no one will replace the Bulldogs' all-time leading save artist. But Trevor Fitts asked for the responsibility in the offseason.

Fitts made 16 appearances last year. All were starts.

"I think my stuff works towards being a closer, not necessarily a starter," Fitts said. "My fastball wasn't good enough to survive five or six innings of SEC baseball."

Compacted outings should allow Fitts to add some pop on his fastball like Lindgren was able to do last year. Fitts also expects help around him.

Vance Tatum allowed two runs in his final 9 1/3 innings last year. He begins this year in the bullpen.

"I think he's going to step into that role and just dominate," Fitts said.

How does MSU overcome Collins' injury?

Mississippi State had three hitters bat .300 last year. None will be in today's lineup against Cincinnati. Brett Pirtle and C.T. Bradford graduated, and Gavin Collins is expected to miss up to five weeks with a left hand injury. Collins was named preseason first-team all-SEC on Thursday. The honor came after he earned a spot on the conference's all-freshman squad last year.

The injury leaves the catching spot to Cody Walker and Josh Lovelady. The duo combined to start six games last year for the Bulldogs.

"That's a huge responsibility to fill, but both me and Josh, we both have the ability to do so," Walker said. "We've both worked with Gavin the entire fall and the entire spring. We're fully confident in our abilities to get it done behind the plate."

Both players worked with the pitching staff throughout the fall and winter. The bigger issue may be replacing Collins' offense. MSU struggled to score runs with Collins last year.

Walker hit .222 last season. Lovelady enters his first season with Mississippi State.

"Going into this weekend, I think me and Cody are pretty confident in what we're doing," Lovelady said.

Who plays second base?

Brett Pirtle hit .363 last year. It won't be easy to replace the second baseman's bat, but he also earned a spot on the SEC's all-defensive team.

During Mississippi State's final scrimmages of the winter, Matthew Britton and John Holland rotated at second base. Britton flashed some of the best defense last season at third base, but doesn't have the bat. Britton hit .233 last year, the lowest of any player with at least 10 starts.

Holland, while in his first year in Starkville, owns major college baseball experience. The junior began his career at Florida State and hit .243 in 2012.

Holland played at Chattahoochee Valley Community College last year and hit .406 with 70 runs, 38 RBIs and four home runs. He was named an NJCAA All-American and player of the year in his conference.

MSU believes those numbers can translate somewhat to Dudy Noble Field like Pirtle was able to do out of junior college.

"I think John fits that mold as well," MSU coach John Cohen said.

Which Rea will show up in 2015?

Wes Rea entered last season with the weight of Mississippi State's No. 4 ranking in the country on his shoulders. Fans remembered his .291 average with seven home runs and 40 RBIs in 2013. Rea was also clutch in the Super Regionals and College World Series.

Many expected Rea to improve those numbers and carry the MSU offense. Instead, he regressed to his production as a freshman and found himself hitting eighth in the lineup.

Rea hit .245 with five home runs and 41 RBIs in 200 at bats as a junior. He hit .249 with five homers and 41 RBIs in 217 at bats as a freshman.

The numbers got even worse for Rea in SEC play, where he hit .209 last year.

There is reason for hope though. Rea played summer ball for the first time in his college career. He hit .267 in 18 games with the Bethesda Big Train. He hit five home runs and three doubles in 60 at bats.

"I just want to be a leader. I want to help everybody," Rea said. "Individually, I want to enjoy, relax and have fun and see what this year brings for us."

Who fills the outfield vacancies?

Jake Vickerson returns as the only starter in the outfield for Mississippi State. He'll likely be on the move though. He started 35 games in left field. He moves to right field this season after starting three games in 2014.

The move is to make room for Reid Humphreys in left field. The sophomore moves from third base to the outfield. It's a position he hasn't played since high school. His bat is too valuable to keep out of the lineup. Humphreys hit .241 as a freshman, but batting practice told a different story.

The balls jumps off his bat with a louder crack than his teammates'. He'll get an opportunity to show why the Washington Nationals took him in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

Centerfield is open for the first time in four years with the departure of C.T. Bradford. MSU will depend on another former MLB Draft pick Jacob Robson to fill that spot. The Canadian hasn't shown the talent the San Diego Padres saw in the 30th round in 2012.

Robson hit .186 in his first two seasons in Starkville, including .063 last year. The numbers come with only 113 total at bats. He'll get a lot more this season to show off some of the best speed on the team.

"Certainly we lost some guys in the outfield that were very, very good players," Cohen said. "But we do feel like we have guys waiting in the wings to take those spots and run with them."

Super Bulldogs Weekend is always a series of note. This year, it comes against Florida, the defending regular-season Southeastern Conference champion. It also comes during the final month when MSU plays four of its final six series on the road. The only SEC home games during that time are Florida and LSU. As the Bulldogs prepare to finish strong, those two series could hold more importance than any.